User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

Baba, as we've gone over the 50 posts threshold on this thread, and without undermining your proposed project in any way (I like a challenge), I thought that I would invoke the journalist device of summarising ‘Five Things We Have Learned From the Discussion’:

1. The MDBG word 面包房 you suggested at the top of the thread is not a high frequency expression – we can be confident of this at least. I would say practically non-existent (except perhaps in Shanghai), but that may continue to be disputed;

2. Plenty of bakery products are consumed in China (the figures you found sound an under-estimate to me because bread is probably the most common breakfast food eaten in China – and they like their bings – snack food – and cakes as well)* – but they are sold by shops that either use just a brand name, or do not bother with any name, they are just one of the many things made and sold by restaurants, hotels, barrows, etc;

3. There is a growing ‘bakery’ industry (I am thinking about the chains we have been referring to – ones that look more like what we call a bakery) but it is different to the industry in Australia in certain important ways. The food is not in the French tradition – it has Chinese characteristics. It is usually not baked on site. The up-and-coming descriptor may be 饼店 – but even that is not common, except in the sense used by tiny roadside stalls, not the chains;

4. This phenomenon of cultures over-lapping but remaining different in important ways is not rare in the commercial world – the majority of commercial and service ventures seem to look alike inside and outside China, but there are important differences. Bakery products is one where there is not even much overlap, but there are others – I’ve suggested for example the many places now selling coffee as an extension to their more traditional tea and yoghurt drinks;

5. We are both 中文播客控 to have pursued this matter so far – I fear everyone else has packed up and gone home! Look what they missed.

* I wonder if these consumption figures include 馒头 and 窝头? Or 包子? What about the wide range of 饼? Are they just counting bread that looks like Australian bread, and cakes?

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

'you could map it all out on google maps'

I've just discovered that I can't make my own Google maps and the instructions are on YouTube, which I can't access. You don't happen to know how to do it? :) I know, silly question.

'selfies' - beautiful word, Baba. Beautiful because I have never heard it before, but I immediately know what you mean. And it sounds so Australian, so I'll be disappointed if you tell me it is not home-grown. (Sounds like 'mobies'.)

'I don't think there are any other poddies putting there hands up to chip in' - yeah, I noticed.

But Baba ... your Internet search skills are formidable - surely you could find some photos to support the 面包房 case? I'll trust you not to do any photo-shopping.

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

'(I) want a mianbaofang map of China akin to your famous potato map of China.'

I want one too - I'm with you all the way - but remember this is a collaborative exercise. I need poddies from around the country to let us know of any 面包房 sightings. I'll accept 面包店, even 蛋糕店 because we are desperate.

When the first one comes in, preferably complete with photo, (outside of Shanghai) I'll put it up on a page alongside the potato map.

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

'I thought the Australian embassy looked really cool. '

Gulp.. I admit I've never seen it. No doubt a poddie will find a photo for me. I imagine something like a post-modern humpy*.

* Note to RJ, a humpy is a traditional temporary dwelling of the Australian aborigine.

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

Okay there are several in the area I walked. Interesting though that they don't use the names we've been discussing. The website says 十佳饼店 (ten fine bing establishments) - they may have started with not much confidence, but it has taken off!

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

'There are a ton in Chaoyang district alone.'

Hey pretzellogic, I had an idea when I posted that I would hear from you. I was in Chaoyang for two or three days - I had never hung out in such salubrious company in Beijing before. (I had been to restaurants in Chaoyang but never in Sanlitun Lu). This was only my fourth trip, my first for five years. I was loking for what changes the Olynpics might have brought. One thing I appreciated was the new metro lines, although I used (some old, clapped out) buses as well.

I stayed in a hostel behind the Zhaolong Bing Guan and then shifted to a hotel near the Landmark buildings. Cruised Sanlitun with what seemd like thousands of foreigners, but no I didn't come across a bakery, as in anything called a bakery, or 面包店, or 蛋糕店.

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

Hey Baba, I went to Beijing for the weekend to research bakeries. No I exaggerate; I spent only one day combing the most sophisticated areas of town searching for a 面包店 ... :)

Oh ... result: nil. Couldn't find a single one. Tends to support the only in Shanghai hypothesis. Also raises the old question: is Shanghai really China?

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

Dear George,

It's a labour of love, and we love your questions. :)

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

'developers of a shopping centre discussing what they need to have'

I found this promotional video for a new shopping centre in Chengdu, the New Century Global Centre, opening April next year. It's the largest [insert kind of facility] in the world, and they didn't mention the need for a bakery! Must have a word to them.

Link: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDU5NzY5ODI0.html

This one is disappointingly in English, I'm sure that Chinese versions can be found.

Posted on: Hot Dogs and Fried Rice

Oh nooooo! I feel another discussion coming on about how to refer to a hotdog stand. Baba! Where are you? This week I'll be out and about looking for hot dog stalls.

I'll start the discussion by saying upfront that out in the west we have the  热狗/règǒu (hot dog) - and we even have the 狗/gǒu (dog). The former sells at IKEA, for starters. I don't think they have 狗/gǒu (dog). 

We also have lots of pink sausage that looks like hotdog on sale at 烧烤 shāokǎo (barb-b-cue.)